US TV networks split on broadcasting Trump’s election-focused speech

• 01NBC, CNN, and ABC chose not to air Donald Trump’s White House address live on Thursday night.
• 02CBS, Fox News, and MS Now aired at least large portions of the speech live.
• 03Some ABC affiliates, including the Washington DC station owned by Sinclair, chose to air the speech.
• 04MS Now host Jen Psaki warned viewers before the broadcast that the speech would be unlike a traditional White House address and was not about the country or its people.
• 05Psaki cut into the MS Now broadcast approximately 15 minutes into the speech to push back on Trump's assertions about the electoral system.
• 06Trump’s remarks focused on accusations regarding the "deep state" and efforts by China to "meddle" in the US election system.
• 07CBS interrupted the broadcast more than 20 minutes in, bringing on anchor Tony Dokoupil and correspondent Major Garrett to provide context.
• 08Dokoupil stated that while much of Trump’s previous commentary on elections had been false, specifically the claim that he won the 2020 election, covering the speech was their job as news.
• 09CNN hosted a panel discussion instead of airing the speech live, displaying a graphic stating: "Trump Gives Address On Elections After Years of False Claims."
• 10CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins explained the network was not taking the speech live due to Trump’s "well-documented history of saying blatantly false things about elections."
• 11Trump suggested that NBC and ABC should lose their broadcast licenses for not airing the speech live.
• 12Trump Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X that NBC and ABC did not want viewers to "hear the truth" and called their editors "cowards."
• 13NBC and ABC both aired the speech live on their respective streaming services and provided post-broadcast coverage.

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Major television networks divided on whether to broadcast Donald Trump’s White House address live, with NBC, CNN, and ABC refusing to air it live due to concerns over unproven election allegations, while CBS, Fox News, and MS Now broadcast significant portions. CNN and NBC substituted the live feed with panel discussions or documentaries, with anchors and hosts explicitly noting Trump’s history of false claims about the 2020 election. Trump and his communications director criticized the decision as censorship, while broadcasters defended their coverage choices as responsible journalistic standards.